MedicalResearch.com Interview with: Justin A. Ezekowitz, MBBCh, MSc Professor, Department of Medicine Co-Director, Canadian VIGOUR Centre Director, Cardiovascular Research, University of Alberta Cardiologist, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Are women older, sicker when they experience heart disease? Response: Previous research looking at sex-differences in heart health has often focused on recurrent heart attack or death, however, the vulnerability to heart failure between men and women after heart attack remains unclear. Our study includes all patients from an entire health system of over 4 million people and includes information not usually available in other analyses. Women were nearly a decade older and more often had a greater number of other medical conditions when they presented to hospital for their first heart attack, and were at greater risk for heart failure after the more severe type of heart attack (also known as a ST-elevation MI). This gap between men and women has started to narrow over time. (more…)